Alleged Rape Streams on Facebook; Brain Interface Lets Paralyzed ‘Talk’

Posted March 22nd, 2017 at 1:20 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings:

FILE - A man is silhouetted against a video screen with a Facebook logo as he poses with a smartphone, in the central Bosnian town of Zenica. (Reuters)

FILE – A man is silhouetted against a video screen with a Facebook logo as he poses with a smartphone, in the central Bosnian town of Zenica. (Reuters)

40 People Watched Alleged Live Sexual Assault on Facebook, Did Nothing

Six men are being hunted in Chicago for allegedly assaulting a 15-year-old and live-streaming the attack on Facebook. Authorities told AP none of the 40 people who reportedly watched the live video reported it to police. The girl’s mother reported her child missing and showed police screenshots of gang rape. Facebook has removed the video, and a spokesperson said “hideous crimes” like this are not allowed on Facebook. “We take our responsibility to keep people safe on Facebook very seriously,” he added, “and will remove videos that depict sexual assault and are shared to glorify violence.”

How People Who Can’t Talk Can Now Communicate by Thought Alone

A person in a locked-in state of paralysis cannot move or communicate with the outside world in any way. But Swiss research institute, the Wyss Center, has developed a brain-computer interface to help these people “talk” to others, using their thoughts. Patients in a locked-in state wear caps equipped with sensors. The sensors use lasers to track areas of the brain that are experiencing more metabolic activity when the person is asked a question, then produce an image that helps clinicians determine if the patient is saying yes or no.

Microsoft Completes Modified Windows 10 Version for Chinese Government

In an effort to push into the coveted Chinese market, Microsoft has modified its Windows 10 operating system for the Chinese government. Windows 10 has been banned for government amid Beijing’s concerns that foreign countries could use the operating system for surveillance. The modifications, done in collaboration with the state-owned China Electronics Technology Group, now await government approval.

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Aida Akl
Aida Akl is a journalist working on VOA's English Webdesk. She has written on a wide range of topics, although her more recent contributions have focused on technology. She has covered both domestic and international events since the mid-1980s as a VOA reporter and international broadcaster.

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